Tropical Rainforests By: Wade Craycraft and Matt Tuttle

Where? Tropical rainforests primarily exist in South America, Africa, and southeast Asia.

Climate Most tropical rainforests are located near the equator, and they receive about 12 hours of sunlight per day. Rainforests, depending on their location, receive between inches per year. This is most of any other biome. Rainforest experience rainfall almost every day. Temperature rarely drops below 68 degrees F, or surpasses 93 degrees. Humidity is usually between percent. Rainforests act as the world’s thermostat, regulating temperatures and weather patterns.

Climatogram

Layers in Tropical Rainforests There are 4 different layers in rainforests. The top layer, known as the emergent layer, consists of the tops of the tallest trees that rise above the rest of the forest. These trees get lots of sunlight and protect the layers below. The next layer is the canopy. This layer consists of the crowns of the other taller trees, and blocks most of the sunlight from reaching the lower layers. The next level, referred to as the “understory”, consists of small trees, bushes, and plants that require almost no sunlight to survive. The last layer, the forest floor, receives less than 2% of the sunlight. On the floor is a thin layer of fallen leaves, seeds, fruits, and branches that decompose very quickly.

Producers Kapok Tree - The kapok tree is found in tropical rainforests all over the world. It is an emergent tree, reaching 150 feet or higher, with a straight trunk, huge buttress roots and an umbrella shaped crown. Many species of birds and animals make their home in the kapok's branches. Rattan- Rattan is a woody vine, a species of liana, that grows up from the forest floor, using trees as support to reach the upper layers of the rainforest to get more sunlight. Some lianas are as large in diameter as trees, and thousands of feet long. Rattan is used to make rope and furniture.

Genghis Tree- Genghis trees average a height of around 80 feet tall. The trunk of the Genghis Tree is about 15 feet in diameter. Genghis Tree usually averages a life- span of about 75 years. The leaves that fall from these types of trees provide food for the animals that live here. Bananas- Even though they grow on trees, bananas are not trees. They are giant herbs. After a year, they reach their full height of anywhere between 10 and 20 feet. The blossoms eventually bloom into a fruit, and can be eaten.

Coffee- It can grow as tall as 30 feet, but is considered a bush or shrub. From the picture they look like grapes, but those are berries containing two coffee beans inside. It takes six to eight years for the plant to be in full production and coffee plants can live up to 100 years old.

Consumers Poison Arrow Frog- Poison-arrow frogs are found in all tropical rainforests in Central and South America. They are known by their bright colors which warn other animals that they are poisonous. Its poison is one of the most powerful known and can cause paralysis or death. It is so potent that one millionth of an ounce can kill a dog and an amount smaller than a grain of salt can kill a human. One frog carries enough poison to kill about 100 people. Native hunters use it on the tips of their arrows which is how the frog got its name. They eat insects and plants, such as small beetles and leaves off of trees. Toucans- There are about 40 different kinds of toucans. They vary in size from about 7 inches to a little over two feet. They are found in the rainforests of Central and South America. The toucan is very important to the rainforest because they help to disperse seeds from the fruits and berries they eat.

Capuchin Monkey- Capuchin monkeys live in the rainforest of Peru. They are highly arboreal, meaning they live mostly in the trees of the upper canopy. Their diet consists not just of fruit and insects, but also bird eggs, young birds, baby squirrels, and small lizards. (pictured on the left) Squirrel Monkeys- Squirrel Monkeys are some of the most commonly seen monkeys in the Central American rainforest's. Your average squirrel monkey lives about 30 meters off the ground in virgin and secondary forests and in cultivated areas, usually along rivers and streams. This allows them access to their favorite foods. A spider monkey's diet includes insects, spiders, bird eggs, young birds, fruit and nuts. About 90% of their diet is composed of soft, tropical fruits. (pictured on the right)

Sloths- Sloths live in the rainforest of Central and South America. The sloth is the slowest mammal on Earth. It takes a month for a sloth to move 1 kilometer. Sloths are arboreal animals, which means that they spend most of their lives hanging upside-down from tree branches. They eat, sleep, mate, and give birth upside-down in the trees. They hold onto tree branches with strong, curved claws that are on each of their four feet. Sloths are herbivores. They eat leaves, tender young trees, and fruit.

Human Impact on Tropical Rainforests Humans have many impacts on Tropical Rainforest. One and a half acres of these rainforests are destroyed every second (about 72 million acres per year) due to human activities. The role of humans in the deforestation of the world's forests is considerable and extensive. Many activities contribute to this loss including subsistence activities, oil extraction, logging, mining, fires, war, commercial agriculture, cattle ranching, hydroelectric projects, pollution, hunting and poaching, the collection of fuel wood and building material, and road construction.

What is being done to protect rainforests? Many countries have seen the destruction of rainforests. Many countries have created their own agencies/organizations to protect their sacred rainforests. Some conservation organizations are promoting tree planting to replace the trees that have been cut down. There are others as well promoting to stop deforestation all over the world.

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